CapU Blues sports info
Sue Soolsma has been named the CCAA Women’s Volleyball Coach of the Year.
The second-year Capilano Blues coach received the honour at the CCAA National Awards banquet Mar. 10 at Providence University College in Manitoba, the host of this year’s national championship tournament.
Soolsma led the Blues to a 19-1 regular season record and a No. 1 CCAA national ranking. The win total established a new record for Capilano women’s volleyball. The team also set a new mark for consecutive wins to start a season as they began the campaign 13-0.
Several Blues players were honoured with PACWEST conference awards including Player of the Year Abby Betker, First-Team All-Star Nnya Mbaoma, and Second-Team All-Star and Top Middle Blocker Natalie Rourke.
"Sue has done an incredible job with this group,” said Capilano Director of Athletics Novell Thomas. “Despite injuries and the usual setbacks that come with a season, the team maintained a consistently high level of play. I’m extremely happy for Sue and her assistant coach Austyn."
Soolsma, a North Vancouver native and a Blues alumnus, created a competitive atmosphere within her group this season and relied on almost all her players to contribute with 10 athletes seeing over 50 sets worth of action, despite the fact they played a full five sets in just four of 20 matches.
This is the fifth CCAA Coach of the Year recognition for Capilano and the first since Paul Dailly took the award in 2017 with men’s soccer.
